Liverpool 2-2 Fulham
"Ten-man Liverpool twice come back from a goal down to extend unbeaten run to 19 games," said The Sunday Times.
It is mind-blowing to find the media lauding the table-topping Reds for gaining a point at home against Fulham. And the follow-up report in Monday's Times mentioned only one Fulham player (Harry Wilson) not because of anything that he did but because of what was done to him.
The coverage is not all one-sided. On the morning of the game the Times's redoubtable Alyson Rudd had presented a two-column analysis of the transformation wrought by the team's head coach. Thanks to Marco Silva, Fulham are no longer seen as underdogs.
With Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey unavailable the boss reorganised the team and refined his tactics. The latter could have gone awry in the first minute of the match when Issa Diop brought down Andy Robertson with a fierce challenge (the Liverpool man was offside anyway).
Luckily the referee opted for a yellow card and it was Diop's clearance ten minutes later that freed Alex Iwobi and Antonee Robinson to break away on the left. Robinson's swirling cross needed an acrobatic leap from Andreas Pereira to deflect the ball off Robertson and over the keeper Alisson Becker.
Pereira had previously been booked for a foul on Ryan Gravenberch, something that the home fans were quick to recall in the subsequent controversy. Sasa Lukic spotted an opening and sent Harry Wilson to bear down on goal. Robertson failed to intercept and resorted to fouling Wilson, who was still able to feed Raul Jimenez. The referee Tony Harrington played advantage only for Jimenez to waste the opportunity.
A delayed free kick was awarded against Robertson, who was then shown a red card. The latter decision prompted a lengthy discussion by VAR and a remarkably civilised one by the players on the pitch. Eventually the Scot trudged off having played just seventeen minutes. The red card may have appeared harsh but Robertson was the proverbial 'last man' and he committed his foul with the specific intention of preventing a goal.
After a comfortable first half Fulham were caught out by a Cody Gakpo diving header early in the second period. Mo Farah was the provider with a beautifully struck pass but proved less accurate than usual when given his own opportunities to score.
Iwobi, Robinson and Wilson continued their raids and in the 76th minute Rodrigo Muniz, not long on the pitch, niftily backheeled Robinson's pass to restore the visitors' lead. Owing perhaps to the intensity of the match the substitutes dominated the final passage of play.
Our heroic defence frustrated Harvey Elliott but could not cope with the dexterity of Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, who fashioned the late equaliser. Even so Adama Traore could have won the match if he had not fired straight at Alisson.
The following day Mr Iwobi was hard at work with his charitable foundation Project 17, bringing much needed Christmas cheer to disadvantaged families. He had organised a pop-up 'AleXpress' store in Canning Town where he grew up, distributing free Christmas supplies to those in need.
He broke off briefly to tell Sky Sports that Fulham had sent out a message: the team was frightened of no-one neither Liverpool nor a team at the bottom of the League. Spot on but fans will be happier when the Southampton match is out of the way.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
